“This Thing of Paper” from Karie Westermann

Welcome to the blog tour for Karie Westermann‘s upcoming book, This Thing of Paper. Thanks to the link over here from Meg Roper, the previous stop on the tour. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to explain why I’m so interested in this project.

(c) Karie Westermann

I love history – lots different bits of history. Usually the bits I was most interested in had nothing to do with what I needed to learn at school. I bought and devoured a Penguin Atlas of Medieval History and used it to find other topics to explore. I love ancient myths and legends. While working at my first full-time tech job, I did a Classical Studies degree at night by correspondence just for fun. And if you’re reading this blog you probably know about my more recent obsession with everything Art Deco.

Also, I knit.

All of these interests primed me to love Karie Westermann’s work. When I heard about Doggerland, her e-book inspired by the artifacts from the lost land in the North Sea, I had to get it. The patterns are fantastic, the history is fascinating, and the hand-drawn sketches done by her partner David are lovely. I blogged about it back in 2013, and I’ve been following her work ever since.

I was so excited this month to read a post from Karie about her newest project that I rushed back to the computer and dashed off a quick email of congratulations. Karie is doing a Kickstarter for This Thing of Paper, a book of knitting patterns and essays inspired by the age of Gutenberg. I’m delighted to report that it quickly exceeded the target, so I know that next year I’ll be getting a lovely book in the mail – and you can too!

The book with its 10 patterns and essays will cover the transition from illuminated manuscripts